Google
 

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Safety Tips to Building a Computer

Safety Tips to Building a Computer
By: Julien David

There are some important precautions you should take into account when building a computer to ensure the safety of you and your computer parts. This article gives you some helpful tips on building your computer in the safest way possible.

Stay Safe With Electricity

Electricity is an important issue to consider with dangerous implications for those who ignore it. When building your computer, be 100% sure that the power supply is disconnected from the mains. Also make sure that all network cables and telephone lines are disconnected from the computer.

Another electricity safety tip is to only turn the power on to your computer when the case cover is on. Don't ever work on the inside of your computer with the power plugged in and turned on.

Be Aware of Static Electricity

Static electricity is a real hazard than can cause significant damage to your computer components. To prevent this from happening, follow these simple tips:

- Always wear an antistatic wrist band when building your computer.

- Keep sensitive components in the antistatic bags that they came with, and only remove them from the bag when you are ready to install that component.

- Try to handle your computer components by their edges only.

- Avoid building your computer in areas of high static such as carpeted areas. If you can, try to avoid wearing clothing such as those made of synthetics as they may create static.

Use the Right Tools for the Job

These days, building a computer doesn't require many tools at all. But if you're going to be using a tool, make sure you use the right one for the job. Some tools that you may need for assembly are:

- Phillips screwdriver

- Flat nose screwdriver

- Pliers

- Antistatic wrist band (highly recommended)

- Nut driver (optional)

Conclusion

After reading this article you should now be aware of the main safety issues you need to consider when building a computer. Follow this advice and you will greatly reduce the risk of damaging your computer, or yourself.

Article Source: http://www.articlecube.com
Check out Julien's website on How to Build Gaming Computers for more information on building your own custom gaming computers.

How To Install A Motherboard

How To Install A Motherboard
by: Anthony Elias

(Important make sure you read through this guide before you begin installation of your new motherboard.)

The motherboard is the largest and one of the most important components of your computer. It’s reliability and health is utmost important.

Once you have picked out and purchased your motherboard you are ready for installation.

Carefully remove the motherboard from the box, do not remove it out of the ESD (electro static discharge) bag. Do a quick inventory to make sure you have all of your parts. Most likely you should have all of you IDE cables for the hard drive and cdrom, and possibly I/O plate. If you purchased a motherboard that support ATA hard drives you should have those cables.

Once you have verified that you have all the parts, pick up the user manual, and read through it, you don’t have to read it from cover to cover but you want to familiarize yourself with the motherboard, in addition many motherboard manufactures will also include a quick installation guide so take a look at that also.

Now you are ready, your work area should be clean and static free. Put on your anti static wrist band, if you have one. A anti static wrist band is just basically a cloth wrist band that has a snap on stretchable cable that is grounded, the grounded surface area helps keep electrostatic discharge in control.

Remove the motherboard from the box and all of the parts. Then remove the motherboard from ESD bag and lay it inside the empty box. Cut open your ESD bag on each side and turn it inside out so that you can lay your motherboard inside of it. Just laying your new motherboard on top of your ESD bag is not enough protection from electro static discharge.

Prepare your computer chassis. If you have already installed and mounted your power supply, tie the power cords out of your way with some wire ties, or some Velcro. You need a clear path from the opening of your chassis to the bottom of your chassis, where your motherboard will be mounted.

Something’s you need to think about before you drop your new motherboard into your chassis is, cooling. Depending on what type of processor you have purchased, the processor may run hot. So you have to think about good ventilation for your chassis. Heat can destroy your new investment in a matter of hours. If you do not already have at least two exhaust fans on your chassis you may have to think about actually cutting a hole either at the top of your chassis or on the side to mount the exhaust fans. Ok pick your jaw off the ground; it’s not as bad as it sounds. If you have a dremel with a cutting blade it can be very easy. Use an old CD as a template and draw around the CD with a washable marker. Then just follow the line with your dremel. Now you don’t have to do this, you can buy a chassis with plenty of exhaust fans already installed, so that is something to consider when you are in the process of buying all of your parts.

Now let’s get back to installing your new motherboard. Once you have a clear path to the bottom of your computer chassis, make sure that you have your bag of screws handy, and a long neck Philips screw driver. Take a look at the motherboard mounts, they are installed inside your chassis, these are the mounts that you will align with the holes on the motherboard. If you do not have any mounts you will have to installed them your self. The hardware should have come with your chassis if your chassis is new; if not make sure you save your screws, when you remove your old mother board.

Remove the old I/O plate and install the new one, take a look at the manual for reference. Make sure that it is secure. Look at the mounts that are on the bottom of your, chassis you want to make sure that you line up the mounts with the holes that are drilled on your mother board. (Important DO NOT DRILL ANY HOLES IN YOUR MOTHERBOARD) Angle the motherboard so that I/O ports will match with the holes on the I/O plate. There is a good chance that you might need to remove the break away pieces of metal the cover some I/O holes on the I/O plate. It is a good idea to check for proper match before installing the mother board.

As you angle the motherboard towards the I/O plates make sure that mounting holes on the motherboard are lining up with the mounts on the chassis. Gently push the motherboard towards the back of the chassis so that the I/O ports are snug against the I/O plate, and that all of the ports are protruding all the way out.

Once you have the motherboard correctly align with the I/O plate you are ready to mount the motherboard to the chassis with the screws provided. Tighten each screw down so that they are snug; do not over tighten the screws.

Use the manual as your guide and connect the power LED, speaker, reset switch ECT, coming off of the chassis to the F_panel (Front Panel) of your motherboard. Since each motherboard will be slightly different make sure to refer to the manual for exact instruction.

Ok well there you have it. You just installed your new motherboard. Need more information on motherboards, and motherboard form factor like the AT or ATX head on over http://www.amecomputers.com/form-factor-motherboards.htm

About The Author
Anthony Elias has been in the information technology field for over 10 years. If you need more information on computer software, hardware or networking please visit us at http://www.amecomputers.com

Products from Amazon
Get Your Motherboard here

Give Your PC A Boost

Give Your PC A Boost
by: Brad Johnson

There will be times where you feel your PC could be going a lot faster than it should. It’s time to take a look at some solutions to help make your PC run at peak performance.

The Windows registry is a big part in keeping your PC stable. The registry is essentially the catalog or reference source for your computer. When you open a program such as your media player or word processor or even an Internet browser, your computer queries the registry to find where the program is stored. The registry contains references to a large majority of settings and values for the operating system as well as its programs, user profiles, document types, hardware, ports and more. Whatever is inputted or outputted through your system is noted by the registry. And yet, Windows Registry problems are the common cause for a majority of crashes, reduced PC performance and error messages.

Tampering with a system registry requires a thorough knowledge of computers. It is recommended that if you do attempt to work on the registry, you should make sure you back it up in case a mistake is made, and secondly, you should make sure you know what you’re doing before playing around with it. If a mistake is made, you can cause some major errors on your system.

The unfortunate news is that your registry will require maintenance every now and then just like other components in your PC such as your hard drive and RAM. Think of your PC as a guitar. The more you use it constantly, the more it can go out of tune. You have to make sure to fine tune it on a gradual basis, otherwise it may not play so well.

A good way to clean out your registry and boost your PC’s performance is by finding some top rated registry cleaners. Once again, we will plug the download section on our website. The best free downloads or trial software can be found at www.outofthisworldpc.com. Be sure to check it out to make sure you are using the best type of software the Internet can offer. We have done all of the researching for you. All you have to do is find us, and use our resources.

To summarize what a registry cleaning program does, it literally fixes a large mass of PC errors and can end such headaches as computer crashes, system instability, error messages, severe lag time and more. You can definitely notice a large boost in your computer shortly after using these excellent software programs, but again, don’t just rely on this software.

Using Scandisk to clean your hard drive of bad errors can help solve some issues relating to your hard drive if errors occur. Remember to give your computer a very thorough cleaning from time to time to keep your performance at its peak rate. Also keep in mind to vacuum out your computer to avoid dust contamination.

Warning! Before deciding to open your computer case, you should be aware that your body can contain static electricity that may be discharged to the circuits inside your computer. A static discharge can damage or ruin your computer. Therefore prior to doing any work inside your computer, you should get a grounding strap. A grounding strap can be attached to one of your wrists and be plugged into the wall (if it is the type made for a wall outlet). If you don't have the ground strap made for the wall outlet, you may need to attach your ground strap to a cold water pipe. A ground strap grounds your body using the earth ground in the wall outlet or from a cold water pipe. A grounding strap should cost less than twenty dollars and should be available at an electrical equipment store. You should always wear a ground strap when working inside your computer case. Especially when working with the microprocessor, memory, motherboard, or other plug in boards.

Now, make sure your PC box is unplugged, take off the cover, discharge your system by de-pressing the power button twice. This is important because if your vacuum cleaner is metallic and makes contact with other metal while power is still residual, you can blow out components in your hardware. It is best to use a plastic vacuum when cleaning. Use the brush extension on your vacuum to get all the dust out of your PC’s air intakes, case fan, hardware components and more.


About The Author
Brad Johnson is a professional web designer, computer expert and Internet Marketer who owns http://www.pc-tutorials.com: A resource website that specializes in a vast amount of articles, tutorials and more pertaining to Internet Marketing and Information Technology.

Article Source:http://www.Articlecity.com

Books from Amazon
All books on PC and ESD precaution when dealing with PC

Friday, May 4, 2007

Humidifier Use In The Home

Humidifier Use In The Home
by: Kelly Gillis

Humidifiers get a lot of use in baby nurseries. When baby is having a breathing problem due to illness, improving and moisturizing the air will help him/her breathe easier. But, humidifiers are not just for baby.
Very simply, a humidifier puts moisture into the air. This moist air makes it easier for anyone who suffers with allergies, asthma, sinus headaches or swollen nasal passages to breathe. Humidifiers also help prevent dry skin and hair and static electricity in the winter time when the heat is on in the home. Humidifiers can also be beneficial for the home by preventing over drying of wood, peeling of wallpaper, and preventing cracks in drywall and plaster.
Humidifiers can make cool mist or warm mist. A warm mist humidifier has been compared to being in a greenhouse, whereas a cool mist humidifier puts out cool air and will not make the air in the room warm. You will choose based on your personal preference.
You can purchase humidifiers to handle one room, such as a bedroom, or nursery, or purchase a humidifier to handle a large space such as a whole house humidifier. There are many features available on humidifiers. You will probably want to look for a humidifier with an automatic shut off. It will turn off when the unit is empty. This is a good safety feature. Some humidifiers have built in humidistats. This can help when a humidifier is used frequently as they can make a room wet, or over-humidify a room. Some humidifiers come with an ultraviolet light that is used to kill bacteria in the water before it is dispersed into the air by the humidifier. Some humidifiers have quieter motors than others, and this can be important as they are often used while sleeping.
Studies done by the government have shown that cool mist humidifiers can disperse microorganisms and minerals into the air. The EPA suggests that you use a bottled distilled water in your humidifier to help lower the mineral content in the air. Also, you should not humidify indoors to over 50% as high humidity encourages growth of biological organisms, such as mold, in the home. It is suggested you keep the humidity level in your home between 35-45%.
It is very important that you keep your humidifier clean and follow the manufacturers suggested cleaning schedule.

About The Author
Kelly Gillis
Article courtesy of http://www.humidifier-guide.com
support@arundel.net

Article Source: http://www.Articlecity.com

Newer Posts Home